Celeste Barber, Marie Claire cover: Comedian breaks silence over ‘photoshop’ scandal

Australian comedian Celeste Barber has been forced to set the record straight after a firestorm erupted over her appearance on the cover of a fashion magazine.

Barber, 43, who made her name by mocking glamour shoots and has 9.7 million followers on Instagram, was the model for the 30th birthday edition of Australian magazine Marie Claire released this week.

The comedian appears glowing as she strikes a model-like pose in a Versace dress made famous by Jenifer Lopez.

On Thursday, the star posted a video on Instagram of the moment she saw herself on the cover at Townsville Airport, saying it was “madness”.

However, her joy quickly dimmed as the image drew a barrage of criticism from fans who claimed it was “heavily photoshopped”.

Barber built an enormous global online following by recreating model photo shoots or videos, poking fun at high-glam, airbrush-culture with self-deprecating and usually very relatable, remakes that celebrate real beauty.

So when her audience saw the star, who usually shows herself in ill-fitting outfits or from less than ideal angles, on the cover looking like a supermodel, the uproar over her supposed hypocrisy was quick.

“Heavily photoshopped Celeste Barber is sacrilege,” one fan wrote.

Another attacked the magazine, writing “The amount of editing your photography team has done to Celeste, goes against everything she stands for”.

Yet another follower was far more direct in calling out the star: “Isn’t this type of magazine cover everything you stand against?”

“You build yourself on promoting authenticity and mocking the photoshop culture. Why then sell yourself to those who promote fake standards of female beauty?”

Posts of the cover on Marie Claire’s and Barber’s social media pages attracted thousands of comments within hours of going up, forcing Barber to address the backlash.

“Hi, I need to tell you all something about this photo shoot, and it’s going to piss some of you off,” she said on Instagram.

“It’s not photoshopped! I just look that f***ing good! I know!’ Barber said.

“You guys are so used to me showing you what I look like as a slapped arse. This is me as well!

“Guys, I just look this good,” she added.

Barber praised the crew that worked on the shoot, saying it was a team effort that possibly involved special lighting.

“It’s hard - I just look this good when there’s 15 kilos of hair put on my head and then Koh (her hairstylist) has to snatch my face up to give me a bit of a Kris Jenner lift to hold the wig in place,” she said.

“I have a feeling, I think they actually shipped lighting in for this, because sister needs a bit of help.”

While Barber was under attack, some fans came to her defence.

“Can we debate about photoshop another moment and actually just celebrate this huge win of her cover?” one fan wrote.

“So sad she had to come out and say this isn’t edited is wild. Just like the women she parodies, she looks AMAZING,” wrote another.

The edition starring Barber, who also founded the company Booie Beauty, is available now.